[Miami] Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola North America, an Italian ceramic tile manufacturer, is extending its reach in the North American market through a new distribution center in the Midwest and two new showrooms — one in New York and one in Los Angeles.

“Fortunately, the U.S. market is growing,” said Thomas Smith, company president.

Imola launched domestic distribution in the late 80s, selling to one distributor in any given market through exclusive partnerships.

The company has one 90,000-square-foot distribution facility in Miami and plans to open one or two more warehouses in 2013 and 2014, Smith said. One distribution center is currently funded, and it will be based somewhere in the Midwest. Smith said the Imola team is currently working with a demographics company to determine the location best suited for Imola’s needs.

“We have very established market partnerships around North America, and as we continue to see signs of growth, our dedicated North American sales and customer service teams are committed to support all of our customers’ needs in terms of both product and service,” Smith said. “Our market is not only demanding high-quality, exceptionally designed products, but also a level of service that we are confident our team can provide.”

Imola initially made its name in the U.S. market through wall tile and over the years has expanded its collection to floor tiles and accents. The company built its business by offering distributors exclusive partnerships within each market, with an emphasis on residential tile sales. The company is now aiming to grow the commercial side of its business. “You have to be dedicated and pick your partners,” Smith said. “We are spending a lot of time and money on the architect, designer and developer.”

To that end, Imola is planning new showrooms in Los Angeles and New York that will work as support to the specification market in those cities.

“It won’t be full on; more of a space for the specifier to go to and a sample studio to send out samples,” Smith said. “Our intention is not to be there for the people who want to redo a backsplash; we have customers who already support that market very well.”

Based in Imola, Italy, the manufacturer produces product in five facilities throughout the country, including large and small formats in multiple finishes for the contract, hospitality, retail, education, healthcare and residential markets.

The company markets its products through three brands: Imola Ceramica, LaFaenza and Leonardo. Leonardo offers cutting-edge commercial products, such as 48” x 48” porcelain tiles with an urban aesthetic. LaFaenza is a high-end residential brand, and Imola Ceramica is slightly less expensive. The company also makes ClipTile, a quick-laying, click-together solution that can be used over existing hard floor coverings.

Imola is using targeted presentations at industry trade shows to help boost brand recognition. At Coverings 2013, the company won Best in Show for its booth design that incorporated thousands of white ceramics in black shadowboxes. Designed by Alessandro Bucci Architetti, who also designed Imola’s showroom in Imola, Italy, the booth gave a nod to the company’s heritage as being the oldest artist cooperative in Italy. “It was a statement,” Smith said. “At that show, we weren’t trying to show as much tile as possible. It was about trying to establish the brand and the artistic part of the company. The booth was more about here is why we are different, and we are very fortunate that our customers understood it.”

At the Hospitality & Design Expo, Imola presented itself in a very different way.

“Here we had a very clean, white booth with just tile,” Smith said. “The audience there came for the tile, and we wanted to throw at them as much product as possible to reinforce the brand.”